![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
April 2023 Test Drive Meme
April 2023 TDM
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.
All TDMs are game canon. You can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Each TDM will provide a scenario for how characters arrive in-game that particular month.
Playing TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
Current players are allowed to have in-game characters react to TDMs via the Network or make a log with the prompts. Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Content Warnings: hallucinations, poison, giant worm
One minute you were a falling star, but as your body reforms you become aware of one important detail: it's friggin hot.
That's because you've landed in a desert! Yes, you have had the misfortune of landing in Cruel Summer, the hottest and arguably most dangerous part of Folkmore. Lucky you!
The first bit of good news is that you're pretty sure you can see a train station off in the distance, although it's extremely difficult to judge exactly how far off due to the flatness of the terrain. The second bit of good news is that you have awoken with either a canteen of water, or an umbrella to keep the sun off. The third bit of news - good or bad, depending - is that you've awoken near another Star Child. Whoever this is will have the opposite gift than what you received; if you have water, they have an umbrella, and if you have an umbrella they have water. Well, you know what they say: sharing is caring! Undeniably the water is a touch more important, so hopefully whoever has it isn't a colossal dick.
As you trek through the desert towards the distant structure, you will notice periodically the air off to either side of you will shimmer. You may dismiss it as merely the heat playing tricks, but if you choose to investigate you will find mundane weapons like swords, guns, shields, etc.
At some point as you walk, you will feel a tremor beneath your feet. It grows in intensity until suddenly the sand sprays everywhere as something bursts forth from the earth below!
Wavering above you is a blood red worm. It is large - end to end it runs about thirteen feet - and its segmented hide is tough enough that rocks bounce right off of it. You might have more luck with bullets or bladed edges, but it's still going to be a tough fight. It also boasts some impressive offensive tricks; its mouth is ringed with many rows of fangs, and itspits a thick yellow acid that will corrode your skin and your weapons if you're not careful. If that wasn't enough, during your fight you might here a sudden brrrrrrrrrapppp! as the creature farts lightning at you. Hilarious... until it knocks you to the ground.
You would do well to work as a team to take this monster down. You and your partner might have powers or skills that could come in handy, or maybe you're quick on the uptake when it comes to any new abilities afforded you by your new role!
If you defeat the worm in battle, a golden chest will appear. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds - these rewards are especially likely to be any weapons you owned back home.
But hey, maybe you're a lover, not a fighter. There's no judgement here in Folkmore. You can outrun the worm instead if you're both fast and clever - finding any terrain that is more rock than sand will give you a decided advantage.
Once you have either defeated or escaped the worm, you will find that you come upon a small group of tents. Under their shade are first aid supplies, and kiosks manned by fennec foxes offering water, food, and shaved ice. Nice!
One minute you were a falling star, but as your body reforms you become aware of one important detail: it's friggin hot.
That's because you've landed in a desert! Yes, you have had the misfortune of landing in Cruel Summer, the hottest and arguably most dangerous part of Folkmore. Lucky you!
The first bit of good news is that you're pretty sure you can see a train station off in the distance, although it's extremely difficult to judge exactly how far off due to the flatness of the terrain. The second bit of good news is that you have awoken with either a canteen of water, or an umbrella to keep the sun off. The third bit of news - good or bad, depending - is that you've awoken near another Star Child. Whoever this is will have the opposite gift than what you received; if you have water, they have an umbrella, and if you have an umbrella they have water. Well, you know what they say: sharing is caring! Undeniably the water is a touch more important, so hopefully whoever has it isn't a colossal dick.
As you trek through the desert towards the distant structure, you will notice periodically the air off to either side of you will shimmer. You may dismiss it as merely the heat playing tricks, but if you choose to investigate you will find mundane weapons like swords, guns, shields, etc.
At some point as you walk, you will feel a tremor beneath your feet. It grows in intensity until suddenly the sand sprays everywhere as something bursts forth from the earth below!
Wavering above you is a blood red worm. It is large - end to end it runs about thirteen feet - and its segmented hide is tough enough that rocks bounce right off of it. You might have more luck with bullets or bladed edges, but it's still going to be a tough fight. It also boasts some impressive offensive tricks; its mouth is ringed with many rows of fangs, and itspits a thick yellow acid that will corrode your skin and your weapons if you're not careful. If that wasn't enough, during your fight you might here a sudden brrrrrrrrrapppp! as the creature farts lightning at you. Hilarious... until it knocks you to the ground.
You would do well to work as a team to take this monster down. You and your partner might have powers or skills that could come in handy, or maybe you're quick on the uptake when it comes to any new abilities afforded you by your new role!
If you defeat the worm in battle, a golden chest will appear. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds - these rewards are especially likely to be any weapons you owned back home.
But hey, maybe you're a lover, not a fighter. There's no judgement here in Folkmore. You can outrun the worm instead if you're both fast and clever - finding any terrain that is more rock than sand will give you a decided advantage.
Once you have either defeated or escaped the worm, you will find that you come upon a small group of tents. Under their shade are first aid supplies, and kiosks manned by fennec foxes offering water, food, and shaved ice. Nice!
Content Warnings: emotional trauma, impalement
Giant death worms aren't the only danger in the desert, they're just the most obvious.
Even if you avoided the worms entirely, you still have to make it to one of the train stations in Cruel Summer. As you trek across the dunes you will gradually become aware that over the sound of wind and shifting sand you can hear someone singing. You feel an urge to follow the sound to its source.
This song could be anything - one that exists in your world or others, or just a melody spun in the air for the first time. Whatever it is, it is heart rending; tears may spring your eyes as you follow the sound, precious moisture falling to the thirsty desert ground.
The singing is coming from a cactus. It is taller than most humanoid creatures, tinted purple and pink at the tips, with abnormally long spines. Its song reminds you sharply of some deep loss from your past, and at the same time inspires a terrible compulsion to go to the cactus and sink against it.
And what a relief it is, to embrace that melody and feel the spines slide easily through your flesh to pierce your heart. You do not bleed. By some strange alchemy, your heartache drains from your body as liquid, filling the cactus and causing its flowers to bloom and its song to cease.
You could very well stay pinned there, dying a slow death of desiccation, but lucky for you Star Children are all over the place this time of the month and someone is bound to see that you need help.
Trying to pry someone off of the cactus is impossible. The key lies in the flowers - they must be removed. When they are, sweet liquid will spray from the place where it had grown, dousing the rescuing Star Child. With this impromptu shower comes psychic flashes of the painful memory that has trapped the victim.
Once all of the blooming flowers have been removed, the cactus will retract its spines and release its prisoner. There will be no physical wounds left from this encounter.
You will also discover nearby that there is now a golden chest. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds, although none of these items are weapons.
Thankfully, you should be able to reach either Oozlum or Obambo Station without further incident. At either of these you will be able to get some water and supplies, as well as get the hell out of Cruel Summer.
Giant death worms aren't the only danger in the desert, they're just the most obvious.
Even if you avoided the worms entirely, you still have to make it to one of the train stations in Cruel Summer. As you trek across the dunes you will gradually become aware that over the sound of wind and shifting sand you can hear someone singing. You feel an urge to follow the sound to its source.
This song could be anything - one that exists in your world or others, or just a melody spun in the air for the first time. Whatever it is, it is heart rending; tears may spring your eyes as you follow the sound, precious moisture falling to the thirsty desert ground.
The singing is coming from a cactus. It is taller than most humanoid creatures, tinted purple and pink at the tips, with abnormally long spines. Its song reminds you sharply of some deep loss from your past, and at the same time inspires a terrible compulsion to go to the cactus and sink against it.
And what a relief it is, to embrace that melody and feel the spines slide easily through your flesh to pierce your heart. You do not bleed. By some strange alchemy, your heartache drains from your body as liquid, filling the cactus and causing its flowers to bloom and its song to cease.
You could very well stay pinned there, dying a slow death of desiccation, but lucky for you Star Children are all over the place this time of the month and someone is bound to see that you need help.
Trying to pry someone off of the cactus is impossible. The key lies in the flowers - they must be removed. When they are, sweet liquid will spray from the place where it had grown, dousing the rescuing Star Child. With this impromptu shower comes psychic flashes of the painful memory that has trapped the victim.
Once all of the blooming flowers have been removed, the cactus will retract its spines and release its prisoner. There will be no physical wounds left from this encounter.
You will also discover nearby that there is now a golden chest. Inside of it are items from your homeworlds, although none of these items are weapons.
Thankfully, you should be able to reach either Oozlum or Obambo Station without further incident. At either of these you will be able to get some water and supplies, as well as get the hell out of Cruel Summer.
{ w o r m s }
She flashed him a smirk. ]
Yeah? I just fell from one myself. [ Ironic that she'd just been falling from space before the Fox arrived. Evidently the universe just wanted her to fall. Sounded about accurate for her life. As they came up to the scattering of weapons she raised an eyebrow suspiciously. This was definitely a foreboding sight. Just as the thought came to her mind she picked up on a sound off in the distance even before the rumble was picked up by the other. There was something down below, something that felt distinctly predatory and that smirk from before oddly grew. Though a brief look of mock offense crossed her face at his question. ]
Oh, I may know a thing to two. [ She picked up a dagger from the ground, slid it into one of the empty holsters on her suit, and then grabbed two of the lighter long swords, spinning them in her hand to test their weight. ]
Guess they'll do. [ As if to accentuate the statement the rumbling began and increased exponentially as the creature erupted from the ground. Sand sprayed everywhere and Charis flipped backwards to avoid the eruption, landing elegantly on both feet and taking an immediate offensive stance. The worm continued to come out of the ground, revealing it's full size and immediately opening it's mouth to reveal rows upon rows of fangs. ]
Well that's a big boy
{ w o r m s }
[The rest of his comment was cut off as the worm fully threw itself from its burrow. Reflexes took over, old memories and lessons from a time that seemed an age ago, and he braced in an instant, raisin the shield to cover most of his body as the sand spray rattled against steel. He shook the sand from his hair as he stood, prepared for whatever this creature had in mind, grimacing as its maw gaped.]
A conversation for later. [He rapped the flat of his blade against the shield and started to sidestep around the worm.] You are a big lad, aren't you? This way, then, steady on. [It seemed to be working. Thancred couldn't see any eyes on the beast, but it swung it's maw as it tracked his movement, jerking at the sound of each whack on the shield. Sound it was, then, and so he shouted the next.] Time to put your new blades to the test!
no subject
A girl could get used to having a personal distraction along for the ride. [ With that she moved one foot in front of the other and jumped up into the air an unusually high distance for someone that looked so unsuspectingly human, and landed on the creatures back. That took it's attention from her newfound tank and it roared up trying to knock her off. She stumbled and used her strength to plunge one of her blades into the creature to act as an anchor. It's hide was thick and she noted that it took a lot of her enhanced strength to actually get into it. The creature thrashed wildly, eventually succeeding in it's attempts to toss her off, though much like a cat she managed to land on her feet. ]
Watch out. [ She shouted to him as the thing began to ready spit from it's maw to chuck at the unsuspecting tank. ]
no subject
He took two steps back, but the vibrations of his feet upon the sand were evidently enough to get it's attention once again as it leveled its gaping maw at him after it successfully ridded itself of its attractive nuisance.
He was watching even before she shouted to the effect, as the creatures throat began to undulate. It was preparing for some sort of attack, certainly, and he buckled down behind his shield, overcoat and armor too heavy in the shifting sand to afford dodging whatever attack was coming.
The viscous yellow liquid the worm spewed forth coated his shield rather than himself, which he was thankful for, though the sound of hissing from the protective slap concerned him. The acrid scent of burning metal began to fill his nostrils.]
Oh, lovely. Our new friend has acidic saliva! [His continued shouting seemed to keep its attention, though and he began to back up, hazarding a glance over his shoulder and noting the small rock formation at the base of the dune. That might be sure footing to aim for.]
Carry on, if you've another blade! That one seemed to get his attention!
[Hopefully his shield would survive the timing of her attacks. The smell rising from it suggested otherwise.]
no subject
An added challenge. [ She readied the other blade she'd grabbed for another lunge. ] I always prefer to dual wield. [ Usually her own blades but she hadn't seemed to come with those, which left her with an infinite amount of frustration. She'd gone to a lot of trouble to secure those as hers.
With another acrobatic leap she jumped back onto the back of the thing, moving to where the other blade was still stuck inside it's had skin. She pulled it out only to have it break midway through. ] The world doesn't know quality craftsmanship anymore. [ She tossed the broken blade on the ground and then moved quickly up the creature looking for some sort of soft spot or weakness. Finally she found something near the head and plunged the weapon in, this time sliding down with it and slicing as deep as she could into it. Even with her strength actually cutting into it was a challenge but she held on.
The worm wasn't ready to let go of it's life just yet though. As she slid down it's body and back to the ground she found herself near to the thrashing tail. The thrashing tail that was suddenly making a rumbling sound of it's own. A sound that sounded almost like a loud...
Just as the thought hit her a thunderous explosion of lightning came out of the creatures behind, hitting her almost directly and causing--
No outward damage to the visible flesh on her face that had just been seemingly struck by lightning? The jolt did cause her excruciating pain, enough for her to wince and fall to her knees for a moment. The creature roared and spit acid everywhere in an almost circular motion as it's head thrashed in pain. The spec of acid that hit her shoulder didn't burn through the suit nor did it burn through her own shoulder. What it did do though was cause a helluva lot of a pain for her. All the while the creature seemed to be losing steam in it's final throes of life. ]
It's fading. [ Maybe he had some way of finishing it off, or getting it's attention back so she could try with the last weapon she had. She pulled the dagger she'd picked up out and gripped it tight as she picked up on the feelings of anger and fear rushing from the creature as it realized it's time might be up. ]
no subject
He gave a shout as much to steel his nerves as it catch the dying beast's attention and changed course, charging up the slope of the dune as quickly as his booted feet would carry him. The worm, and Charis, had tumbled down the other side, which have him the advantage of height and he leapt as he reached the apex.
It wasn't until after the flash of light, the spread of suddenly appearing wings at his shoulders, and quite an extended leap that landed him squarely on the beast's back, after a cry of rage as he drove his broadsword deep into the worm's brain and flipped off its back, landing out of the way in a crouch, as he watched the last twitches of life leave the creature, that he realized all that had been him.
He'd...changed, somehow, and even as it dawned on him, the glittering white wings that had appeared on his back dissolved into nothing, just as the glow around him receded.]
Well, now, that's new.
[He took a few heavy breaths before looking around to find his companion.]
We made short work of it, I'd say. Are you alright?
no subject
Guess this place thought you needed some help withy your leaps. [ She smirked only for her attention immediately turn to a golden glint she picked up out of the corner of her eyes. There next to their conquered beast was a large golden chest. ]
That's also new. Did we earn ourselves a prize? [ She laughed at his question and raked a hand through her hair, pulling it over to one side. ] I'm fine. You?
no subject
I'll have to pass my thanks on to the fox.
[He followed her gaze toward the golden chest, eyes narrowing. Once upon a time he would have jumped at such an event, but he'd grown wiser with age.]
A shining golden box couldn't possibly be a trap, now could it? [He returned her question with a confident smile.] No worse for the wear, but also a return to the start. I seem to be fresh out of weapons thanks to our tyrant worm.
[He did step closer to the box, though. Traps be damned, he wanted to know what was inside.]
Shall we withhold our introductions until after we see what sort of certain doom might pop out of such a ridiculous chest or should we handle acquaintance first?
no subject
Could be a trap, but I always like living on that edge. [ That was the answer to his question on if they should go with introductions or the chest first. To further solidify the answer she bent down and flipped the lid open. Her assumption that he was human made her think she'd have a better chance of surviving anything it might throw out than he would. Humans were fun, but damn fragile.
Once the chest was open it revealed a pair of exceptionally well crafted twin blades resting on top. She grinned as she picked them both up. ]
Guess it's destiny to have to always work to get these back.
no subject
He tensed as she approached the chest, wary of what may befall her, him, or the both of them when it was opened. He felt completely exposed, without a weapon, but his eyebrows rose when she displayed two of the most beautifully crafted blades he'd ever laid eyes on.
And he'd laid eyes on many a finely crafted weapon in his time.]
Gods those are something. And familiar, I take it?
[He approached, wondering if there was anything in the chest he might recognize, and he was not disappointed. A satisfied smirk touched his lips as he reached into the inner reaches of the chest, pulling from it a unique weapon, which his admired for a moment before placing in a leather holster across his back that seemed ready for the thing. Next, he pulled what was obviously a stylized bandolier and the smirk turned into a smile. At least he was armed.
He strapped the bandolier around his waist, a ribbon of ammunition-laden leather falling into place on his thigh.]
I see! It was a test, and I believe we've passed.
[His remark was laced with sarcasm, though. They might have passed, he might have his gunblade, but he's none to pleased to be at the mercy of so capricious and unpredictable a being.]
I take it those blades have a story?
no subject
Very familiar. I've had one for a long time. Just got it's twin back though. Was disappointed to land here without it. [ She glanced up as he pulled his item out and raised an eyebrow with a look of interest and admiration. ]
Now that's an interesting piece. Not every day I see something I'm not familiar with. [ The older she got the harder that became. Even better it was a weapon made of her two favorite things. ] Made from my favorite things too. [ At his question she let out a laugh and and shrugged one shoulder. ]
Doesn't everything have a story?
no subject
[But he smiles at the jest. She was more than a little pleasing to the eye and to have such a beautiful woman comment on his appearance? Well, he'd love to be anywhere other than a sand dune.]
Your two favorite things? My lady, I dare say you are one of the most curious women I've had the pleasure of acquainting recently. What say you to a swapping of those stories over a few pints, preferably out of this thrice-damned heat?
no subject
I've never turned down a drink in my life and I'm not about to start now. [ She laughed before taking a quick look around. ] You'd be surprised at how often I get that. Or you wouldn't. [ Probably wouldn't. ] Wonder how far we have to go to actually find that.
no subject